F1’s official tyre supplier is bringing a softer selection of tyres for this weekend’s race for only the second time this year – as it also did in Australia. As the 2013 rubber is softer than that used last year, its Pirelli’s of compounds for most races this season have been the same as last year or harder.

@prisoner-monkeys Did you see the thermal camera on Vettel’s car going through 130R in Japan? The inside tyre heated up more than the outside tyre. DC on the BBC was quite confused but it. But I think with the right set up on the right car the direction and speed of a corner is almost irrelevant.

So more tyre management races then, Wonderful :(
More 2 second gaps, Less good, hard, Close racing!

Martin Brundle said on the Sky coverage at Suzuka that he asked most the drivers about the levels of tyre management seen in 2013 & they all said they “Absolutely hate it”. I agree with them, Its absolutely dire!

It seems Dizzy, that you and I are lone voices in the wilderness. Perhaps if I had grown up with computer games I might be glad to see F1 turned into a cross between Chess and Snakes and Ladders but as it is I prefer to see drivers testing their car control skills for the duration of the race.

‘Sebastian, watch the wear on your front left tyre, don’t push too hard. Watch out for backmarkers, remember Senna ’88’ (or WHATEVER year, in reference to being careful overtaking backmarkers).
OH shut up rocky. face it, you never have any problems in the race.

Sometimes I wonder if Red Bull’s problems aren’t carefully-designed PR exercises, since they never eventuate. The one time Vettel did have a genuine problem – in Brazil last year when his floor cracked after the collision with Senna – they said nothing about it.

They said they could see the damage on screen and that there was nothing they could do about it during the race. Vettel himself said he was lucky that the race was wet, as it minimized the effect of the damage. What more should they have said? You have a crack of 5 inches in your bodywork with a width of a few mm, … They couldn’t do anything about it, unlike when you can shortshift your gearbox etc.

@sato113 A year old? It’s three years old actually, first Indian GP in 2011 remember? And it’s used a lot too, I myself have done quite a bit of karting there, albeit the karting track merges with the f1 track for only about 40% of the length. And there is a lot of super and sports car racing too! Lambos and Ferraris are a common sight!

The fact that there is even the discussion that the tyres coule (Or indeed should) be used to limit one teams ‘domination’ with many fans encouraging that approach shows just how far Formula 1 has fallen & just how big a joke both it & Pirelli’s tyres are.

I don’t like how the FIA has to keep banning anything that gives an advantage. Double diffusers, blown diffusers, double DRS, and in 2014 the exhaust is going to exit clear of the bodywork which is another attempt to stop Red Bull

To be honest, I don’t want “aggressive strategies”. I want strategy to be a subtle addition to improve the racing, not the dominant factor. Preferably, I’d always want one stop to be an option, whether two stops is the maximum or indeed the one is the maximum and you could potentially run to the end (in races like Monaco or Monza for example).

Hopefully that will be the case next year, although that stupid rule is being retained I believe that you must use both compounds and start on the tyres you qualified with.

@vettel1 That qualifying rule is stupid. Whenever there has been a wet qualifying and a dry start, most of the cars start on the softer tires anyway. I think it would be more exciting if we got to see a situation where the pole sitter started on the harder tires, like Silverstone 2012

The two compounds rule is the only reasons teams use the option tire anyway. Nearly all race strategies this year involved doing a 6 lap option stint and then using primes for the rest.

A very welcome change after they have gone Ã¼ber-conservative in these races for the last years. Vettel will win the WDC anyway (and next years tyres will be a lot more conservative – that is good), so now give us something to be exited about for this race Pirelli

press conference after the race :
RBR : no, it was not easy to win this race, absolutely not. it was very very hard
FER : we need to understand why can’t we understand why the car is not fast enough…. also in another news do you know about our wind tunnel ?
McL : we have some updates coming sometime this year and it will give us a huuuuuuuge boost
LOT : I’m sexy and I know it
MERC : we are still trying to figure it out who is the boss in our team. after we figure that out we… err… what was the question again ?
SAUB : we’re fast, very fast… we’re broke. do you have some money ? yeah ? only with a driver included ? deal.

drivers in 2013 :
the majority : Vettel is not fast, his car is
VET : I can’t type his finger here, sorry
WEB : **** this ****, I’m out
ALO : samurai !
MAS : I’m only helping myself becau… **** ! who put this wall here ?
HAM : I have no idea, are they together or not ?
ROS : I’m faster, let me pass
RAI : shut up and let me drive
GRO : don’t hit anyone in the first corner, don’t hit anyone in the first corner, don’t hit anyone in the first corner, don’t hit anyone in the first corner, don’t hit anyone in the first corner, don’t hit anyone in the first corner…
BUT : the car is terrible
PER : oh look, a car in front me. chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarge !